Stabbed man is now in jail for drinking beer

by r33irby

Ross Irby
Reporter
Reporter Ross Irby has wander-lust mixed with a sense of adventure, spending way too many years roaming about Australia, its back roads and off-shore foreign lands.
Enjoys a yarn, story telling and tales, along with curiosity to find out about the lives and (mis)adventures of others.
An off-beat sense of humour, not taking it all too seriously, along with big doses of flexibility/adaptability whatever the situation is the best way to go.
You have to have the life experiences to have empathy...

A MIRIAM Vale man is in jail after he contravened a Domestic Violence Order and also a court ban by entering a hotel to buy a beer.

Gladstone magistrate Mark Morrow had tried to help a battling pair save their fiery relationship by banning them from every liquor outlet in Queensland last September after he found their domestic problems and violence occurred when they drank too much alcohol.

The 26-year-old man had his parole revoked and was sentenced after going intoxicated to the Miriam Vale hotel where he was told to leave by the publican.

Prosecutor Sgt Barry Stevens said the man then went to a house of his girlfriend to get another beer when a witness saw her crouching on the ground and covering her head "as if to protect herself".

"Get up I'm going to flog you," the man was heard saying to the woman.

Sgt Stevens said he returned to the hotel, took off his shirt and argued with the publican and his wife, challenging the publican to a fight.

Defence lawyer Nikki Wawryk said the man was extremely intoxicated and his girlfriend also committed an offence that night by allegedly stabbing him.

Ms Wawryk said the man committed the offences while on parole for a previous matter of violence.

"He has significant issues with alcohol," she said.

"He drinks daily, cheap wine, and has drug issues and also methylamphetamine abuse."

Magistrate Penelope Hay told the man that as a direct consequence of his latest offences his parole had been cancelled and he has since been serving imprisonment.

She said that his breach of parole for a similar offence was an aggravating feature.

She said his ongoing substance abuse and alcohol problems exacerbate the violence.

Ms Hay acknowledged that he had also been stabbed by the woman that night and she would take this into account in sentencing as additional punishment.

Ms Hay sentenced him to two months jail and noted that he had served six days already. He was given immediate parole eligibility but Ms Hay said it would likely take two months to process.